Dr Mercy Griffin Dickinson AM

Teacher

Born in Rockhampton on 24 September 1919, Kathleen Mercy Griffin (class of 1936), known as Mercy, lost her sight following meningitis at the age of seven.  Mercy was the first blind student to attend Brisbane State High School, where she passed both junior and senior studies (grades 10 to 12). She was the first blind graduate at the University of Queensland (Arts) and the first blind person to hold a classified position with the Department of Education in Queensland (teacher-in-charge of the Blind School).

Mercy's first teaching role was as a tutor in English, French and Latin to sighted students at evening tutorial classes, which was supervised by the then Queensland Teacher's Training College (1940 to 1948). She then taught at the Blind School until around 1962, except for a period in 1954 when she was overseas, having won a Fulbright travel scholarship. This scholarship along with a post-graduate scholarship with the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind, enabled her to complete a Master's of Special Education at Hunter University, New York. She returned to Queensland via Britain and Europe, where she visited schools for the blind and spent a practicum at the famous Condover Hall in Shrewsbury, England.

In 1962 she was off overseas again. During this period overseas she married Harold. On their return they were instrumental in setting up the Queensland Training and Placement Centre for the Blind where Mercy was a volunteer teacher until Harold's retirement. Following Harold's death in 1983, Mercy increased her involvement in Braille House, teaching Braille and Moon and serving on the Queensland Braille Writers Association Council.

Mercy's work in the blind community was recognised with an AM in 1984, being made a Doctor by the Queensland University of Technology and the Blind Citizens Australia David Blyth Award in 1995.